Srinagar, Nov 9 (IANS): With minimum temperatures already several notches below normal across Jammu and Kashmir, the weather office Saturday forecast a further drop.

Abdul Rashid Zargar, deputy director of the weather office here, told IANS: "The minimum temperature was 2.4 degrees Celsius in Srinagar Saturday. It was minus 3.8 in Gulmarg, minus 3.6 in Pahalgam, minus 4.0 in Kargil and minus 5.2 in Leh towns of Ladakh region.

"The minimum temperature was 11.0 in Jammu Saturday. In Gulmarg, the minimum temperature was four degrees below normal, it was three degrees below normal in Pahalgam and four degrees below normal in Jammu.

"We are expecting the weather to remain dry during the next four days. This means the night temperature will continue to drop further.

"A western disturbance is expected to arrive here Nov 14-15, under whose influence there would be light rain and snowfall in the Valley.

"The cloud cover accompanying the disturbance would raise the minimum temperatures from Nov 14 onwards across the state."

Western disturbance is the name given to an extra-tropical storm in the Mediterranean Sea, which causes precipitation that is rain or snow in India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh.

The prospect of a good rabi crop in the region depends largely on these disturbances.